Most riders are told that a powerful, efficient pedal stroke means that you need to spin circles or pull through the top of your pedal stroke. However, some recent studies are calling that advice into question. Based on this new understanding of the pedal stroke several top coaches now call for a powerful downstroke with the lead leg while minimizing the interference from the trail leg–a controlled “mash” in effect.
In this video I go over what science is now telling us about a powerful and efficient pedal stroke and demonstrate three exercises to help improve yours:
1. Single Leg Roman Dead Lift
2. Bulgarian Split Squat
3. Reverse Lunge with High Knee
Do these exercises a couple of times a week and you’ll be on your way to getting more out of your pedaling as well as benefits if you’re a runner, too. For a more comprehensive mountain bike specific strength and conditioning program, check out the Ultimate MTB Workout by James Wilson of MTB Strength Training Systems.
19 Comments
Sep 13, 2011
Sep 13, 2011
Sep 13, 2011
Sep 13, 2011
It also worked well and preventing me coming off the saddle and mashing.
On a mountain bike I found off the saddle rides limited my traction as the slight foward lift limited traction....
Also wouldn't it be a bit much if the terrain is soft wet as that controlled mash may make you loose traction?
Sep 13, 2011
If you don't agree then that is fine but if you say that I am flat out wrong then I'd like some sort of fact based argument. I don't think that it is fair to post whatever you want without having to answer for it in some way, kind of like I am doing right now.
I totally respect your reply since it is honest - you have your way and you don't even want to know about a "new" way since yours works just fine for you. I have no problem with that, but the truth is that there are a lot of riders who may benefit from knowing that there is more than one opinion on how to pedal a bike.
If you don't agree then just say so, but if you're going to say that my advice, based on more than one study and coaches opinion, is flat out wrong then let's have some sort of discussion about it. That's how sports grow and find better ways.
Sep 13, 2011
I'm just curious what your thoughts are concerning the studies and the advice from top road coaches that say spinning circles is not what you want to do?
I'm trying not to sound antagonistic but we all know the party line you keep repeating - spinning circles/ using the hip flexors to pull through the top is supposed to be superior. What is your retort to this new evidence to the contrary?
I've printed to references before but here they are again:
Mornieux et al. Int J Sports Med 2008; 29:817-822
Korff et al. Med Sci Sports Exerc 2007; 39:991-995
BTW, the exercises I used are not quad dominant but hip dominant exercises, which emphasize the hamstring and glutes, not the quads. I use them specifically because they target the hips more than the quads. Again, I don't know what to say because your knowledge in this area is so limited that you don't know what you don't know, and yet you feel compelled to disparage my info.
I'm really a nice guy and a big believer in "disagreeing without disliking" so please understand this isn't personal but you can't just post half-cocked comments and expect for me to not point out why you simply are not right. I'd love to discuss it if you have some comments or questions based on the new evidence I've provided if you want to check it out and get back to me.
Sep 13, 2011
Another thing these studies bring up is the difference between mechanical efficiency and metabolic efficiency. Pedaling in circles does result in an increase in mechanical efficiency, however there is a decrease in metabolic efficiency. Humans are not designed to power lower body movement by spinning circles and doing so is not the more efficient way for them to do it.
Sep 14, 2011
Sep 14, 2011
Sep 15, 2011
What they are finding out is that what the pros told us they felt (spinning circles) and what they actually do (powerful extension on the lead leg with a more passive return of the trail leg) are two different things. This is actually common in sports as the best rarely know how they do what they do and amateurs like us do a poor job of actually recreating what they do based on their descriptions of it. I would bet money that if you hooked ol' Lance up and checked his pedal stroke it wouldn't be as "circular" as you think. And this is a MTB site, not a roadie site so what wins the Tour might not be the best thing for us.
Lastly, there is a big difference between uncontrolled mashing and what I am talking about here. You still need to have a smooth, controlled pedal stroke that feels circular but you don't want to actively pull through the top with your hip flexors. The cycling world has a very poor understanding of how muscles work together to create movement and this has lead to advice that emphasizes weaker muscles (the hip flexors) while de-emphasizing the strongest muscles in your body (the glutes and hamstrings aka the hips).
How you pedal your bike should resemble how you run with a powerful extension of the lead leg and a passive return of the trail leg.
Sep 13, 2011
Sep 14, 2011
Sep 13, 2011
Did you really think everyone was going to read your blog post and swallow it whole as the absolute truth?
I've appreciated James' exercises and knowledge in the past. You take it for what it is. He give you tools to improve - you use what you want, chuck what you don't. He's not your personal trainer, no one is obligated to follow every step of every piece of advice he gives.
And advice it is. It's not the bottom line. Which is something I certainly hope he agrees with.
I have to say this is about the worst display I have seen on this site.
Sep 13, 2011
Sep 14, 2011
Sep 14, 2011
Sep 13, 2011
i won't say their is no merit whatsoever to your claim that mashing is superior to circles but i will say in my experience i have found that this is not true and that there are other very credible cyclists, like lance armstrong for instance and cycle coaches, like thomas chapple and steve lund, who would also disagree.
i did my own experiment awhile back and found that allthough i posted the same average time, speed and rpm using both techniques i averaged 7 bpm more pedal mashing than when i was spinning. i'm not expecting my results to sway yours or anyone elses position but it was enough to solidify that spinning, for me atleast, is more efficient than mashing.
Sep 13, 2011
Sep 13, 2011
I'd like to know more about how testing is done to determine pedaling efficiency. Do they look at power output vs heart rate? Is cadence taken into account? What sort of timespan?